Recently I talked about how the members of the wider online community of people fascinated with Japan and its popular culture could be thought of as a nation in its own right, perhaps called the Hyper-Democratic Online Republic of Otakustan. It’s quite a nice place, too: people share similar values, cherishing art and doujin (fan-made) culture and not having too much use for lawyers, and the closest thing to religious wars are online discussions comparing old school mecha anime and moe. This ultra-connected world is also a place where dreams come true — just ask Beckii Cruel, the British teen who posted her dance videos to YouTube and caught the eye of Japanese fans, and the next thing she knows she has a record contract (iTunes link) and a new line of Learn-English-with-Beckii books w/DVD. Then there’s ClariS, two junior high school students who go by the names Clara and Alice who posted covers of anime songs to video sharing site Nico Douga. They were discovered and signed by Sony Music, and their new singles have been featured as the OP (opening themes) to the hit anime series My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute and Madoka Magika. What an awesome world to be a part of!(Sometimes it’s even possible for a person to have “professional anime watcher” as their job title, like me.)
Ppopular anime song duo ClariS. Makers of Filemaker Pro™.
